The Official Blog of the Independent Community of Educators, a caucus of the United Federation of Teachers

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Evaluation Agreement Another Step Backwards

People have asked us to comment on the recent agreement between NYSUT and the State Education Department on teacher evaluations. Basically, the deal is another loss for UFT members and teachers across the state because as of 2011 40% of our rating will be based on student progress. Since there are so many variables that go into pupil progress, most over which the teacher has little or no control, this looks like a terrible way to rate teachers.

UFT spin says that Joel Klein wanted to make 100% of our rating based on student progress on standardized tests and we stopped him. This is ridiculous. It's like saying someone wants to steal $1000 from us but we only gave away $400 so this is a victory.

As an opposition representative said at last week's Delegate Assembly, this agreement is a terrible precedent. It takes us down a road we don't want to go down and is ripe for abuse by unscrupulous administrators.

The new rating system will provide us with four grades and rewards and sanctions will be based upon how we are rated.

At least at the DA Unity/UFT leaders admitted that U ratings and discontinuances are way up. They are way up in large part because of the 2002 and 2005 contracts. In 2002 we allowed arbitrators to rewrite letters to our file and in 2005 we gave up our right to contest the accuracy and fairness of file letters thus opening the door to the full scale attack on our profession.

Basically, last week's May DA was a summary of this agreement with Unity spin and then there was a discussion with mostly Unity people dominating it. The only other subject talked about was the budget.

14 comments:

Anonymous
said...

Well I tried to tell everybody, start working on campaigning earily and hard, for the UFT High Office,But we spent most of our time trying to save the schools from closing (which, don't get me wrong was a great victory)and not enough time and energy on winning the elections, in short we lost sight of the great goal. And now we are all doomed and guess what, they will find a way around it and close the schools anyway. We just slowed them down a little that's all. Instead if we won the election we could have put a stop to everything. And yes I worked hard to get the word out about ice-But most of us didn't !!!

Mulgrew is a confederate to his constituency. Completely stunning he pulls this move, unilaterarlly, AND without getting anything back. How much did Bloomberg pay him to do this to us?

I really think the only hope is a grass roots movement where thousands of teachers regularly donate the equivalent of their union dues to some great lawyers who will fight for us in the courts. Examples?

As soon as Klein opens up his trap again about ATRs being "bad teachers" he should be personally sued for slander and/or libel. Our legal counsel would produce teacher after teachers with perfect credentials, and he would lose in court. Also, the rags (Post , News) can be sued for subjective journalism on this topic. ALSO, suits should press the issue on teachers who are falsely accused and exonerated from charges, and allowed to sue the DOE and NYC. Administrators who falsely accuse should then be sued personally. There are SO MANY issues that our confederate union doesn't fight for us, that if we don't get strong legal help, we are DOOMED . . .You'll be surprised how reluctant some of these school admins would be to bust chops unfairly if they know they will be immeduiately attacked personally. Right now, we are completely weak, vulnerable, and "toast" unless drastic measures are taken. Sadly, this will not happen . . .

This drastic pro charter media campaign will give Mulgrew the traitor the opportunity to offer a contract up to teachers (at least 50% of whom are five years or newer) the option of selling out the ATRs over a year's time. Mulgrew will make like Pontius Pilate and offer up the ATRs . That and equivalent PERB findings will seal the deal for the ATRs, they will be gone. Seniority could also be gone if Obam and "Arne" gets the bailout through. In exchange they could demand that seniority is abolished or greatly reduced.

If we don't get some Superman bulldog lawyers on our side . . . we are DEAD DEAD DEAD .

What are you people talking about. ICE-TJC got killed in the last election. Perhaps they should have not put a husband/wife team on the ticket who would be the signers of all checks-like that was smart.

Meanwhile, every paper is against us. The Dems in Washington are against. The Dem Governor in Albany is againt us.

Mulgrew and Unity and the 91% are alone standing on the beach against our enemies.

I don't think you make deals so you can fight another day. The point, though, is this deal was not well-regarded by the tabloids anyway. The News says we need more, and the Post disapproves. In fact, I don't believe Mulgrew did this for the benefit of the tabloids, and I think the notion that he did is idiotic.

Personally, I believe him when he says he did this so that something worse wouldn't come down the pike. However, I also believe something worse will come down the pike anyway. Appeasement seems a very poor tactic when dealing with the Klein regime, which appreciates nothing we do and would never be satisfied no matter what we did.

Michael Mulgrew already gave away the whole store. He could have at least waited till contract negotiations and got something in return. Even a retirement incentive has eluded him. Unity has been spreading rumours of a buyout but that didn't pan out. This is a new low for unity.

Hey anon may 18 12:17Your comment indicates you have a fundamental misunderstanding of the control the Unity machine exerts over most schools through their control of the chapter leaders. That is what the election is about. It is not about telling people but the hard work of organizing. The more important elections are in 2 years for chapter leader. Unity coopts as many as they can immediately.

You have to join in an organized effort, not just tell people. Until there are hundreds of active UFT members in the opposition it is just whistling in the wind. ICE certainly bears some responsibility in failing to activate people. But that has been a problem for the opposition for the 40 years. Look to Chicago where the catastrophe is over 15 years in the making and there is a growing opposition a lot from the newer teachers.

Now it has to be up to the younger generation in NYC over the next few years. There are some signs but so far just a flutter.

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